Jamaica visa dispute discussed

Cayman’s Premier McKeeva Bush and Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister Kenneth Baugh have agreed to try to resolve the issue of visas required for travel between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands during informal talks on Wednesday.

A delegation from Jamaica that included Mr. Baugh, former Jamaican prime minister Percival James “PJ” Patterson, and CARICOM economic advisor Byron Blake, visited the Legislative Assembly while it was in session Wednesday. The group was in transit from Jamaica to Havana, Cuba, where the officials are attending a CARICOM conference.

According to a Cayman Islands Government Information Service press release, Mr. Bush and Mr. Baugh agreed during the brief meeting to hold further discussions on the visa issue. Currently, visas are required by Caymanians to visit Jamaica and for Jamaicans to enter Cayman.

In July, Mr. Bush told the Jamaica Gleaner that the government was considering making it easier for Jamaicans to visit Cayman if they already possess a United States visa, stating that he believed the rigorous process to which applicants for US visas are subjected should be satisfactory for entry to Cayman, eliminating the need for the granting of a Cayman visa.

Mr. Baugh is also minister for foreign affairs and foreign trade of Jamaica. Mr. Patterson was Jamaica’s prime minister from 1992 to 2006; and Mr. Blake represents the Office of the Special Representative of CARICOM on Haiti.

During their courtesy stop, they visited the Legislative Assembly, where they met the Premier, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mary Lawrence, Deputy Governor Donovan Ebanks, Attorney General Sam Bulgin, and Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson, along with government ministers and MLAs.

After watching the lawmakers at work during a meeting at which several amendments to bills were finalised, the guests gathered in the lobby of the Legislative Assembly and talked about the close historic ties between the islands. They also spoke of the need to rebuild the traditional Caribbean foundation of strong parenting and families in their countries.

Referring to the CARICOM conference, which will focus on Haiti’s rebuilding, the leaders also acknowledged the need for Caribbean-wide dialogue on other regional interests.